The Nail Files: Jen Brill and Madeline Poole's "Negative Space" Manicure

It’s rare to see creative consultant Jen Brill without her signature crimson lip (either M.A.C.’s Ruby Woo or Chanel’s Rouge Coco in Paris), and rarer still to see her nails polished with anything other than a matching shade of deep red. “If not red then translucent pink,” says Brill, who adopted her mother’s weekly traditionalist mani/pedi ritual while growing up on New York’s Upper East Side. “My mom isn’t fussy or precious, but she always has the most gorgeous hands, and finishes her nails with one coat of Essie’s Ballet Slippers. I like to keep mine clean and neat in the same way.”
It took the charm and talent of nail artist Madeline Poole to edge Brill out of that comfort zone. After being introduced to Brill at Art Basel in Miami Beach last December, Poole suggested she try something a little outside of the frame—black polish covered with tiny pastel crosses, a look the pair describes as “South Beach Goth.” “The thing about most nail art is that you don’t always get a perfect finish and I’m OCD in that respect,” says Brill, who met Poole for a fresh update on the design on a recent Saturday afternoon in the West Village. “But Madeline gives you a perfect manicure, no matter what.”
When it comes to painstaking precision, Poole is more qualified than most. After attending art school in Baltimore, her hometown, she apprenticed with a local antique poster restoration studio, and spent eight-hour days bringing beautiful turn-of-the-century artifacts back to life. “Even as a kid, I would paint everything in miniature,” says the 26-year-old, who works freehand, without the use of nail tape. “There was a time that I did nothing but make egg dioramas,” she admits with a laugh.
After watching a manicurist at work on the set of a fashion shoot in Los Angeles two years ago, she started experimenting with acrylic colors on her own nails, the first attempt being a French tip rendering of Hello Kitty. Now a rising editorial star in her own right, you’re more likely to find her crafting the perfect color-blocked nail on the film set of emerging artist Ryan Trecartin or designing ombré wraps for the L.A.-based nail company NCLA, than dipping into actual paint pots. Her Instagram feed—which features images of everything from Renaissance-style frescoes meticulously replicated on the tip of a pinkie finger to graphic cubist nails—has caught the eye of more than a few high-profile followers. (“Badgalriri just started following me,” she says, citing Rihanna’s hugely popular Instagram handle. “Now each time I post a new picture I ask myself ‘What would RiRi think?’ ”)
Lately Brill has been drawn to Poole’s “negative space” manicures, where portions of the nail are finished in clear polish. “It’s thanks to Madeline that I’ve added black and white to my palette,” says Brill, watching as Poole outlines the shape of a heart on her fingertip. She holds her hands up against her transparent Chanel clutch, stamped with bold interlocking black Cs. “These days I’m even matching my hands to my purse!” http://www.kissyprom.co.uk